The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-04-30
RIVERS OF FIRE.
TERRIFIC SCENES OF VOLCANIC
ACTIVITY IN HAWAII.

r,,t,uunkr shocks by the Hundred Until
i,c Land Was IicnvIng Like the Semitic
bathurst pf the I%Ava-Fiftccn Fountains
If Fir. In Full riny ut tho Same Time.
The mails from tho Hawaiian Islands
rive interesting details OF tho earth.
a,nkcs and volcanic eruptions that have
lecn going on there. An occasional
slight shock Of earthquake is little no.
,ired III this region; but ever since early
In December there has been n steady in
crease In tho force and the frequency of
the shocks. BY tho 18th OF January they
hat Increased to m average Of about
three n day, and they became heavier
and heavier until the 10th, when 1t was
evident that an eruption was to be cx-
pecicd, though o II could tell where II
would hurst forth. In the forty.cight
hours TINT followed, the earth kept up n
constant trembling with every now and
then a vicious Jerk, first in one direction
and then with equal force In n directly
opposite line; so that the movement of
The houses was like that of n boat In u
chopping sea, and the effect produced on
human beings was like sca-slckncss. The
vibration was almost continuous but
the shocks followed one another ut inter.
yals Of from three to five minutes, with
occasionally three in succession strongly
marked, as is often the case with ocean
waves. 80
At intervals there were awful thunder.
storms, accompanied by vivid lightning
and wild wind; but on the evening OF
Sunday, January 10, the heavens were OF
aclear intense blue with brilliant star
light; and the great round dome of
Mauna-Lua and the many cones of
Mauna-km lay pure and cold beneath
a deep covering of newly-fallen snow.
Anime !. NJ. the people bclleld n mighty
column Of fire and Illuminated smoke
burst up, not from the summit crater OF
Nokuaweo.wco, but from Pohakuoha.
nalei, one Of n group Of extinct craters
lying about three miles down the western
slope. The night air vas chill; but for
,wolonrs and a-half the people wandered
about, waiting TO see what would happen
next; when, suddenly as 1t had appeared,
The light vanished, and then the earth,
quivcrs commenced in right good earnest.
But the pillar of fire and smoke
was no, seen again till about noon on
Tuesday, during which time the lava
was forcing its way by an underground
channel, till it again burst to the surface
within n mile of another extinct crater
named lIalcpoohaahaa, where It rent a
assure a mile and n half in length, and
thence poured forth in three streams, all
Of which crossed the government road
on their seward way. This means that
wide tracts Of the said road now lie
deeply imbeddcd beneath masses Of the
coarscst black lava, of the sort which re-
sembles huge blocks, Of concrete and
seems never to disintcgrate. For the
frs, twcnty.four hours all the lava
elected wa of this nature; but afterward
all that was thrown up was pahoehoe-
INC smooth creamy-looking rock which
becomes pulverizcd within q few years,
anti then requires only the action of
wafer TO prove fertile soil. This Is for
luhate; but in the meantime much good
pas,uragc has been destroyed.
The coarse lava invariably flows in a
sluggish stream, probably not exceeding
q mite and a half per hour, whereas the
more fluid Tmhoehoc often travels Mt the
rate OF twenty-five miles an hour. One
OF the three streams reached the sea on
INC loth OF January, having Travelled cir
Ia''ousiys Tor about twenty miles, the
aifect distance from the point of erup-
'lon being only about twelve miles. A
Wild wind had already churncd the ocean
mo loan, and deep thunder seemed to
echo the booming Of the heavy surf, when
!Nls flery flood arrived to add its scetf-
ing and roaring TO the tumult Of the ele-
mentS.
TN the morning Of the Goth a party of
men made their way through the forest to
.sc point Of eruption, which is ut n height
ol about 5000 feet above the sea 1.-THE
Total height of the mountain is $4,000 feet).
ihc!y describe the scene as grand beyond
conception. Fifteen fountains of molten
!ava were in full play, throwing up huge
aonldcrs OF black rock to a height Of 200
!eelt while the fluid fiery rock..fell inrscat-
'efed showers like rockets. Columns of
smoke rose to fully 500 feet. Explosions of
pell'up gases, the roar of rushing Lawn,
and the crashing of thunder blended in
aeafcning chorus. Vivid lightning
p'ayGd around, while a heavy hail.shower
'ul Missing on the surface of the fiery
s,sealn; The whole side oil. the mountain
I9t,a width OF two miles wns one vast sheet
u ilc'd blood-red fire-a rushing, roaring
,Ver OF molten rock, bearing on its sur
'"Ee Doulders weighing tons.
standing on the brink OF that unfath.
DHaanie hss"re, the whole line of fire lay
N sight, extending from the mountain to
1ne sen, burning its way through the for.
e', ming up little valleys and spreading
w! IN n ilery lake on the plain. 1t had
No.. yet begun to cool, and was brilliant
,so lis whole length, only blackcncd on
aHe edges. The sight at night was mag.
ull'cent the columns Of lurid smoke and
,ne rejected glare on the clouds and on
sDe .lark forests combining to produce a.
s.ehe OF b%ewildering grandeur. So vivid
was the light that small print. could be.
aena at midnight ut a distance OF many
mt''es. IheP Portuguese laborcrsi on some
" INC Plantations, not having acquired
uae sanE.troid Of the Hawaiians, were al
most wild with terror, and spent their
1,ne sobbing and wailing and calling on